1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for distinguishing a panel of a display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Increased competition among mobile terminal manufacturers has remarkably reduced the development cycle of mobile terminals and has further diversified the types of mobile terminals being developed. To follow this trend, the manufacturers are replacing type-specific parts, which are used in mobile terminals based on their types, with universal parts that can be used for all mobile terminals regardless of their types. With the availability of the universal parts, the mobile terminal manufacturers can more rapidly develop various new models of mobile terminals, securing their product competitiveness.
In manufacturing mobile terminals with the universal parts, the mobile terminal manufacturers may be provided with the same parts from several suppliers to balance the supply and demand of goods, and a display unit (e.g. a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) module) is an example of one of the universal parts for mobile terminals. In order to use the universal parts such as the display unit, the characteristics of which may differ according to supplier, for mobile terminals regardless of their types, it is necessary to distinguish types of display units made by different suppliers and apply the proper settings to the distinguished display units.
The conventional technology for distinguishing types of display units made by different suppliers provides a method for writing unique IDentifiers (IDs) of the display units in a Random Access Memory (RAM) mounted on a display unit module, and checking the IDs written in the RAM. However, the conventional technology may increase the cost and size of the display unit due to the memory being mounted in the display unit. In addition, because the display units are supplied from several suppliers in a mixed way, IDs used to identify the display units may be incorrect. Further, a separate process of writing the IDs should be performed, and when the types of the panels, or display units, are changed, the process of writing the IDs should be carried out again, which may cause a delay in the product manufacturing process and an a reduction in product shipments.
Further, the conventional technology provides a method for adding particular pins and for distinguishing types of display units through the added pins. However, this method may increase the volume of a Flexible Printed Circuit Board (FPCB) and connectors, provided to connect the display unit to a controller of the mobile terminal, causing an increase in the cost of the product.